Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Predators and Varmints 22 Hornet for Coyotes

Just wondering,does anyone on the forum use the 22 Hornet for calling Coyotes? I have two Hornet's, one is the SS Encore and the other Browning A-Bolt Micro-Medallion LH. I use Lil'Gun and the Hornady V-MAX 40 gr in both rifle but have never tried them for calling Yotes. These rifles are very accurate with the above loads. My concern is runners, if the shot is past 50 yards.

I have been using my Taurus Raging Hornet revolver in .22 hornet on yotes since mid-summer. With good bullets they work really well. I wouldn't use the factory loads that have the hollow points. I have been using the V-max as well and am considering trying out the Barnes varmint grenade. I limit my shots to 60-75 yards just from experience. My partner and I used to shoot yotes with our 10-22's in .22 magnum, and we quickly learned to keep our shots close.

I killed 2 doe with a 22 hornet Contender pistol this past weekend. Doe #1 took it through the heart and broke her off shoulder. She ran about 50 yards. Doe #2 took one in the lungs and just stood still bleeding. Shot her again lungs off shoulder and bang flop. Not a single bullet stayed in the deer. Bullet used was 45 grain TSX and 13 grains of Lil Gun/ small pistol primers.

I have killed a lot of groundhogs over the years with the Hornet and 99 % of them where DOA on the spot. The rifle i used the most was the Ruger Number 3 , wish i had kept it. I believe the Hornet will work well for calling in thicker cover where the shots come close. Plus the little Browning A-Bolt is so light to carry.

A Hornet on coyotes is very useful.

I'd stick with soft points though for shoulder shots.

Love the little Hornet...

If you can still find any, the discontinued Nosler 45 Solid Base was THE Hornet bullet for coyote. My own Browning Micro Medallion loves the combo of that bullet, 13.0 LilGun and Rem 6 1/2 primers with a Lee Factory Crimp applied to the WW case necks. The gun loves it; fox, rockchucks, badgers and coyotes do not.

Lacking that bullet, just do the above with any 45 softpoint.

I concur totally Rocky...

45gr. NSB is my pick as well. Even works on Texas size deer.

Fos...

Come on man, shhhhh on that Hornet for deer mess....

Those discussions take place in the deer section...grin....

Hornady, Remmy, Sierra, and Speer all make very suitable 40-45 grain soft points for use in a Hornet that I'd choose anyday over a light Vmax...

MY CZ in hornet and now in K-hornet has been the cause of sudden heart failure in a bunch of coyotes. Never had one do more that chase it's tail for two or three turns after hit. I like the 40 gr V-Max and 1680. Turning my hornet into K-hornet was the best thing I did. I would not hesitate taking a clean shot at 150 yards.

You are the 2nd person I know of that hunts and kill deer with a 22 Hornet. 22 centerfires are popular in Texas for deer hunting.
I personaly know the fellow that deer hunted exclusively for the past 5yrs with the 22 Hornet Ruger bolt action. Claims he yearly fills his deer tags and never lost a deer. Maybe BS , maybe not.

I don't have enough fingers to count the folks that I know that kill deer regularly with a Hornet. For conversation...

I have killed both yotees and whitetail with the hornet on all occasions they were DRT. Did I mention that they were all head shots. I felt under-gunned to attempt a chest shot.

I have only shot those two deer with mine. The man I got it from had never put a bullet down it but has killed very many deer with a 22 hornet Kimber rifle. He says the last 5-10 years he deer hunted all he used was the hornet. If you like hornets his little Kimber is sweeet. Don't think I'll ever tote it as my main go to deer rifle/pistol but I will shoot one or two with it from time to time.

killahog the ones I shot were about 50 or 60 yards but I did not recover my bullets. Felt confident about chest shots but could not believe they went on through the shoulder too.

STARJCB- I think I would like Texas deer hunting. I think if I had the chance I would use my 22-250 just in case a real wall-hanger showed up <grin. Wouldn't want to be underguned on a out of state hunt.

Was the NSB a pointed boattail, or just tough blunt softpoint? Does anyone make a nice pointy softpoint that works well in the Hornet, to get a little flatter ranging ability?

The NSB is a blunt boattail, the blunt part probably both for magazine fit and better stability in a 1-16" rifle.

Flatter trajectory in a Hornet is probably wishful thinking. At ranges where drop would start being a concern, you're out of striking energy anyway. A casual peruse of a ballistics chart will show you it's a pointless pursuit - pun intended.

Well, the 40 VMax at ~2800 seems to add quite a bit of range to the old round.

Not much, compared to a 45 NSB at 2800. At least in my estimation. But if a difference in drop that's less than the apparent width of a crosshair matters to someone, then by all means load the pointy ones.